


Playtime

by Specks_of_Love



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Child!Reader - Freeform, Dadster, Eventual Plot, Fluff, Gaster Blasters, Wing Ding is a crybaby, fluff with plot, fun with telekinesis, lots of fluff, nice Gaster, you are much too curious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:43:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5949589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specks_of_Love/pseuds/Specks_of_Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The waiting room was much too boring to stay in for so long. At least it hadn't been hard to find a playmate, even if he was a crybaby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Snow Issues

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry in advance for anything inaccurate...say, perhaps how buildings work XD. I'm just running on imagination and speculation by this point. Whoo~!

You wisely kept silent as your father drove to work with you in the passenger’s seat. His grip on the steering wheel was relentless as he glared at the road ahead of him. He'd been in a sour mood even before the car ride. School had been canceled -much to your excitement- due to bad weather on the roads, but both of your parents still had to work. 

You were too old for the nearby daycare but not old enough to be home by yourself. From what you could make out from your parents’ arguement, mom couldn't take you and a babysitter wasn't available on such short notice. 

So you had to tag along with dear old dad today. 

You shifted uncomfortably in the silence of his car. “M’ sorry pops.” You spoke up, albeit almost too soft to be heard. 

Your dad tensed but sighed, sitting up straighter and releasing his death grip on the wheel. He weaved his fingers through his hair and cast you a glance, “No...no don't apologize. You're not at fault here.”

“But, you're mad.” You protested, but he was already shaking his head. 

“I'm not...mad per say. More...frustrated actually.” Your father heaved another sigh, “I can't exactly take you into the lab with me, but you can't even go inside the building where your mother works.” 

You winced, remembering what had happened the last time you'd gone to work with your mother. She worked with various celebrities, Mettaton included. While Shyren, Frisk, and Napstablook were all pretty nice -even Burgerpants was at least civil- Mettaton did not like you one bit. 

It's not like you had meant to get Frisk sick. You hadn't known about your cold before it was too late. 

Needless to say the pop star had an issue with you since you had ‘harmed their precious shooting star’. The robot’s shrill cries at the mere sight of you still rang in your ears. 

“I don't like mom’s work.” You mumbled and scrunched up your nose. 

Your father merely chuckled. “Yeah, I bet you don't.” 

He ruffled your hair affectionately and you giggled. At least he was in a better mood now. 

The rest of the drive was relatively silent, and thankfully short. You gazed up at the gigantic white building in awe. Your dad worked with the scientists, building and running machines. He was amazing with machines. 

“Now don't get too excited.” Your father warned, “Remember, this facility also doubles as a medical center for experimental drugs. You'll be in the waiting room since there are toys and movies to watch.” 

“Won't I still be alone though?” You asked quietly. 

“There's the receptionist, Monica.” Your father sighed, “She's a nice woman. Though since it’s a Thursday and the roads are bad...there might not be any patients or their families in the waiting room today.” He mused. 

You shrugged indifferently and removed your seatbelt, shouldering the backpack you'd brought before climbing out of the car. Once the doors were closed and the car locked, you took your father’s hand as he led you into the large white building. 

Once your father had clocked in he led you down a series of hallways before stopping in front of a room with many chairs and uncomfortable-looking couches.

“You'll be in here for the majority of the day. I'll come by to check on you and to have lunch.” Your father told you. 

“Oh! Good Morning Sir!”

You flinched as a woman called out for your father, leaning out of the window adjacent from the waiting room. 

“Ah. Good morning Monica.” Your father smiled, “How are you?”

“Fine. Fine. You know,” Monica paused as she saw you, “And who's the tyke?”

Your father introduced you with a smile, squeezing your shoulder affectionately. Monica made a face but it quickly disappeared. “So this is your kid huh? So why're they here?”

“School was canceled. It was such short notice that they'll have to spend the day here in the waiting room.” Your father smiled, “Would you mind keeping an eye on them?”

“You want me to play babysitter?”

“No! No, not really. Just, pop in and make sure they aren't bleeding to death every once in awhile.” He chuckled, his humor somewhat forced. 

“Alright, whatever.” Monica agreed though she didn't look happy. 

“Thank you so much Monica!” He beamed, “Really, I owe you one.”

You saw Monica smirk at this, but your father missed it as he knelt down to talk to you, “I'll be gone for quite some time, okay?” He asked and you nodded, “Good. Now behave for Monica. I mean it, keep out of trouble and try not to wander off too much. The bathrooms are just down the hall and if you get hungry just tell Monica and have her call me up. Don't just eat the snacks in your backpack, it's too early for those.” 

You nodded once more, “Yes sir.”

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too.”

With a kiss on the forehead and a quick hug your father dashed down the hall and quickly fell out of sight. You sighed. 

You had a feeling it was going to be a long day. 

You tossed your backpack into one of the chairs and rifled through the movies beneath the old television in the corner of the room. You flinched however when the window to the receptionist, Monica, slammed shut. You turned just in time to catch the woman glaring at you before she turned her back and pulled out her phone. 

You shuddered. If you could avoid talking to her, you'd take every available measure. Shrugging off the incident you returned to sifting through the movies but found yourself disappointed with your presented selections. 

Mighty Duck  
Fun Times with Mr. Flamingo  
Ringo  
Mr. & Mrs. Palooza  
The Great Race  
Veggietales  
Juniper  
Space Cops  
Super Leopard

You frowned. You had only seen Veggietales once and had no desire to watch it again, nor did you feel brave enough to venture into the other available titles. You sighed and put the basket of movies back. Reaching for your backpack, you pulled out a coloring book and doodled for a bit. 

It kept you entertained for all of fifteen minutes. 

You let out another breathy sigh as you closed the coloring book. There was no way you were going to last until the end of your father’s work day. Rolling onto your back you sat up and grumbled. 

Great, you were already bored. 

You were very set on the idea of pouting until something caught your attention. Footsteps. But not normal ones either. Loud ones. Huge ones. 

It sounded like a giant from Jack and the Beanstalk was coming down the hallway! Your curiousity getting the better of you, you scrambled to your feet and dashed for the doorway. 

Peeking out your jaw went slack. Your neck almost hurt as you tried to look at his face. In your awe you hadn't noticed you'd stepped out fully from the waiting room. Before you, stood the tallest person you'd ever seen. 

The tallest monster you'd ever seen. And he was staring right back at you with one wide eye and one crescent one. 

But, why did he look so nervous?


	2. W. D. Gaster

Gaster observed the child warily as they stared up at him. Their head was craned back rather far and their mouth hung open wide. He was nervous, borderlining uncomfortable honestly. It was not as if he did not enjoy the company of children, their playful innocence and imagination was quite refreshing in comparison to his own mind. 

The occasional break from quantum physics was welcome.

However, it was not often that children were comfortable around him. He could not count the number of times Papyrus had cried while in his arms as an infant, or the fearful looks the children of the other employees or their patients’ he’d received. Given his lifespan, he expected to become used to it with some time. But he hadn’t...whatsoever. The looks still hurt and the cries were painful to bear knowing he’d caused them.

And yet, here he stood faced with another child. 

A little thing you were and you had yet to utter a sound. Gaster stood rigid in his place as you continued to look at him. Shifting uncomfortably, Wing Ding sighed.

“Hello child.” He greeted you softly.

You blinked as if broken from some strange trance. “Uh, hello mister…” 

Well, the lack of screaming was nice. He could have cried. 

Gaster relaxed -albeit only marginally- and spoke up once more, “May I ask why you’re here today? A check up perhaps?”

But you were already shaking your head. “Nope. Just waiting.”

“Waiting for who?”

“My father,” You said with a brief flash of a pout, “My school got canceled, so I have to wait until he’s done.”

“I see.” Gaster nodded, a small smile on his features. 

The child seemed to consider something for a moment, “You're really tall mister. What's your name?”

The skeleton smiled a bit more at this, their curiosity was rather enticing. Perhaps he could humor them for a bit. “My name is Wing Ding Gaster.” He paused, “But you may just call me Gaster if you like.”

You grinned brightly at the man and offered up your name as well. Gaster nodded, crouching down to be more on level with the child as they approached. 

“If I may ask, how long are you staying today?” 

“Until my father leaves work.”

“And when is that?”

“Too long.” You pouted, crossing your arms unhappily, “Nobody’s here except Monica and she's scary.” 

Gaster felt a snicker rise to his lips at this but managed to let only a look of amusement slip past, “Yes, she's not very pleasant to be around, is she?”

You shook your head immediately. 

“Hey kid!” 

You jumped as Monica forced the window open and stuck her head out to glare at you. You looked at her fearfully as she stared down at you. You weren't doing anything wrong. So why did you feel like you'd been caught with your hand in the cookie jar?

“Get back in the waiting room!” She snapped, “You're not supposed to leave until your father gets here.”

“But-.”

“Now!”

You scrambled away from your new friend, too fixed on getting back inside the room to even say goodbye. You clutched your backpack fearfully as Monica left the counter and walked around to close the door to the waiting room with a sound bang. 

Tears pricked in your vision, not even an hour hand passed and you were already in trouble. You stuck your tongue out at the door and held your backpack tighter. You could hear your papers crinkling between your arms and chest. 

You climbed onto one of the couches and fell back with a thump, bored and alone. 

“Child?”

You jolted as a familiar voice called for you out of the blue. You looked around wildly and found the tall skeleton from earlier watching you. He stood on the other side of the room, the row of chairs in the middle almost acting like a barrier between you and the monster. 

But you perked up at the sight of him. “Mister!” 

You tensed as he quickly shushed you, “Hush, lest Monica hears you.” He warned gently. 

You nodded in understanding, “Okay. But how'd you get in here?” 

Gaster looked uncomfortable for a moment but answered nonetheless. “Just one of my many talents.” He replied. 

You hugged, dissatisfied with his answer but didn't press him. You could use someone to talk to. 

“So what do you do here?” You inquired curiously. 

Gaster brightened at this, “Have you heard of the Core, little one?”

Thinking for a moment, you nodded, “I think so...isn't it that big machine in the Underground?”

The skeleton nodded excitedly, the little light in his one eye brightens with excitement. “Yes! That's it! I built that machine to help the monsters live Underground.” 

Your eyes widened, “Whoa…”

“Yes, very woah!” Gaster nodded proudly and you giggled, “The other human scientists want me to find a way to route power to the surface as a means of-.”

As Gaster continued to ramble excitedly you began to understand less and less of what he was saying. It was all big words and phrases you didn't know.

“Um, mister?” You called out, hoping to get his attention. 

Only to be met with a harsh sound coming from the tall skeleton, repeatedly. You yelped and covered your ears with an unhappy whine. “Stop it!”

And it did.

You looked up at Gaster and tilted your head. He looked afraid...upset maybe?

“I...I didn't...oh I'm so sorry little one...I…” Gaster fumbled over his words as he wrung his hands. 

He had began speaking in WingDings without realizing it. He ran a hand down his face, shame gripping his cracked soul. He’d ruined it. He'd finally met a child that wasn't afraid of him and he'd ruined it because he couldn't control his raving.

He tensed as he felt a tug on his lab coat. You had gotten up and stood beside him. You looked up at him, giving him a sad look.

“Don't be upset Mister, you didn't mean to right?” You cocked your head to the side, “What was that sound anyway?”

Gaster blinked, waves of relief washing over him. He hadn't ruined it? Tears threatened to fall again. 

Gaster knelt down again to be more at level with you, “I was talking, child.”

“That didn't sound like talking.” You scrunched up your nose and Gaster laughed. 

“I suppose it wouldn't to you. But it is a monster language, more specifically relevant to the skeleton origins.” He paused as you tugged on his coat again, blank stare in place. 

“I don't understand.” 

Gaster hummed thoughtfully, “Skeletons spoke it first, then other monsters did too...but not humans.” He explained simply for your benefit. 

You smiled, “Oh...so what's it called?”

“Wing Dings.”

“I thought that was your name?”

“It is.”

“But...huh?” You grumbled, things weren't making sense again.

Gaster chuckled again, “It's something skeletons do. We are named after the typeface we speak in.” 

“Typeface?”

“Hmm...font?”

“Oh, I know what those are.” You paused, “I thought a lot of monsters spoke Wing Dings though? So are all the skeletons names Wing Dings?”

Gaster laughed at this. The kid was smart, just putting their information together the wrong way. 

“No, not quite. Unfortunately Wing Dings hasn't been spoken in a long time. I am merely a very old skeleton.” Gaster chuckles at your gobsmacked expression, “I could explain it to you in full detail if you like. It has been a very long time since someone has been so invested into our culture.”

“Dad just says I'm curious.”

This drew another laugh out of the tall skeleton. “Would you like to know more?”

You nodded vigorously. “Yes.”

“I would have to take you out of this room,” he said hesitantly, “As much as I would like to sit here and talk with you all day, I must get to the labs and begin working.”

“I think my dad would be okay with it. So long as I don't touch or break anything.” You murmured. 

“We’ll just have to be careful then.” Gaster said, still somewhat wary. 

But if the child’s father had a problem with Gaster keeping them entertained during the day then he'd take full responsibility. You tugged his coat again for his attention, “Dad normally gets a lunch break at twelve thirty. If I'm back before then I think it'll be okay.”

Slip you back undetected? Gaster could do that with a little help; though just for good measure...

“Would you like to see some magic child?” Gaster asked you. 

One again you nodded with a vigor. The skeleton chuckled and instructed you to pick the longest movie in the basket and play it. It just so happened to be Mr. & Mrs. Palooza at 5 hours long. It was one of those full season discs…

“Now sit in front of the Television, pretend as though you're watching the show.” Gaster instructed. 

You raised a brow but complied, opting to sit cross-legged on the floor before staring up at the screen with a bored expression. 

“Perfect, now just hold still.”

You sat as still as you could as Gaster began to create weird wispy tendrils of purple magic from his fingertips, his eyes glowing a similar color. The purple wrapped around you. It felt weird, like that weird feeling you got when you jumped off the high-dive for the first time. But it was over pretty quickly. 

Gaster was grinning as the smoky purple magic faded away. “Okay, you may move now.”

You quickly stood up, gasping at the sight before you. There, on the floor, sat a little fake-you staring up at the screen as the first episode of Mr. & Mrs. Palooza played onscreen. 

“Wow! That's so cool!” You gawked and whirled around to beam at the skeleton, pointing wildly at his creation. “That. Is. So. Cool!” 

Gaster chuckled fondly. Yes, he had a feeling you would be very good company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully accept both Veteran!Grillby and Veteran!Gaster headcanons. And the idea that they both fought front lines, Grillby much more that Gaster though. 
> 
> The next few chapters will contain a lot of fluff, scenarios, and some general takes on skeleton/monster stuff. There is more plot, just not until lunchtime ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Talking Fonts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> " *SPEECH" is Wing Dings
> 
> By the way, if anyone wants to offer a tip or two about how bold and italics work for this site, I wouldn't be able to thank you enough. 
> 
> Heh...there's plot hints if you squint :)

Gaster watched fondly as you bounced with excitement. You turned to face him, a grin plastered across your face in a way not unlike his oldest son. A brief flash of pain sliced through him but a tug -one that was becoming rapidly familiar- on his lab coat broke him out of his thoughts before they could become too dark. 

You peered up at the skeleton earning a pang of protest from your neck at the effort. “Gaster?” You asked softly. 

He had looked so upset. You gave him a concerned look, “Is something wrong? Did I do something?” You asked, slightly tense as you waited for him to answer. 

But Gaster quickly shook his head, “No, no little one. I just remembered something...unsavory.”

“Does that mean bad?”

“Something like that.”

Gaster paused once more, “I'm going to teleport to my lab. Is it okay if I pick you up?” 

You nodded, smiling giddily as Wing Ding lifted you into his arms. You hummed thoughtfully, despite the bone he held you in a way that was very comfortable. Like he had practice or something. You brushed aside the idle thought, more interested in the fact that Gaster’s pupil-lights had just gone out. 

“Brace yourself, child.”

Before you could ask what ‘brace’ meant everything went dark and then light again, like a light switch was flicked on and off. 

But you weren't in the waiting room anymore. 

“Whoo…” You mumbled as a sudden feeling of dizziness hit you. 

Gaster quickly took notice and set you down on the floor, hovering over you as his paternal side kicked in. Thankfully the icky feelings went away quickly. Once you had given Gaster a smile to let him know you were okay he let out a breathy sigh of relief. 

“I'm sorry little one,” Gaster apologized and promptly scooped you into his arms again, “I had forgotten the effects of teleporting on humans.”

“Did you actually forget Gaster? Or are you just telling me a TALL tale?” You snickered cheekily. 

Gaster stared at you, a grin slowly taking place. He laughed out loud, seeming very pleased, “Do you truly think I would tell you such a fibula?”

“Mom says parietals have to sometimes.” You replied. 

“Well, I've got no reason to patella you a lie.” He fired back, not missing a beat. 

“I think I can coxal the the truth out of you.” 

Gaster tilted his head in interest. “You know quite a few bones little one.”

You shook your head, “Nah, there's this new kid at our school who always tells them. I don't know where they get them from.”

Gaster chuckled, “Do you know their name?”

“Um...it started with an F…”

“Do they often wear shirts with stripes?”

“Yeah! The teacher thought that they only had one set of clothing because they always wore a blue and purple shirt!” You giggled, “So they wore a white shirt with purple stripes the next day. I think they were worried about getting their parents called.” You shrugged, “I thought it looked nice though.”

“I think I might know them.” Gaster said softly and walked towards the large computer. Setting you on a stool he picked up along the way, he went about starting up the old thing. The humans were very cautious about allowing him anything technologically recent. He'd make do though. It was marginally better than what he had previously been forced to work with. 

“So what were we talking about before?” Gaster asked as he bent down to check the fans. 

“Your font, Wing Dings right?” 

“Ah, yes! I remember now.” He sighed as he sat down in the swivel chair and waited for the computer to boot up, “As I mentioned, I am a very old skeleton, compared to a human at least.”

“How old?”

“Old enough that I remember times before all the monsters were sealed underground. I was born on the surface...I was about 23 when we were sealed underground.” Gaster shook his head, “My point is that skeletons live for hundred of years. Some even well into a thousand.”

“Whoa! You're ancient!” You gawked and the skeleton feigned offense. 

“Little one!” Gaster exclaimed and huffed dramatically, “I am not ancient! Why I am as spritely as any other young monster!” 

You laughed, clutching your sides in your mirth, “Y-You sound like -heh- Papyrus!” 

Gaster froze and you tensed as well, laughter dying down immediately. “Mister? I'm sorry, did I…” 

You shrunk back as Gaster hung his head with a sigh. “No, no child. I am not upset with you. I merely...know Papyrus.”

“You do?”

“Yes, but how do you know of him?”

“Sometimes Ms. Toriel lets Papyrus come to class with her and tell adventure stories to our class! We used to have story time in the library, but Papyrus kept forgetting to used his inside voice. Now we just have story time in the classroom.”

Gaster chuckled, if not bittersweetly, “Ah, that does sound like The Great Papyrus.”

You tilted your head in a mixture of curiosity and concern, “Why do you sound so sad when you talk about Papyrus?”

After all, Papyrus would never make anyone sad. He was always so nice!

“Ah, yes speaking of Papyrus, he is a skeleton so his name is also based on a typeface.” Gaster replied, ignoring your question, “Papyrus is also very loud, so his typefaces are often capitalized.” 

“I don't quite understand…” You admitted, deciding to go along with the subject change. 

Your parents, as you learned, did not take well to being pressed about topics after the subject had been changed. It would be safer to just go along with Gaster for now. 

Gaster visibly relaxed, “What don't you understand?”

“You say his typefaces...but you also said you speak in your typeface. I don't really understand that.” You tried to elaborate but trailed off with a hopeful look to Gaster. 

Fortunately he seemed to know exactly what you meant. “I see what you're asking. The peculiar thing regarding our typefaces is that some can be spoken in what sounds like english and others cannot.” 

Gaster grabbed a sheet of paper from the corner of the large desk and began to write. When he finished he handed it to you, but you merely scrunched up your nose in confusion. “It's just a bunch of hands, smiley faces, and other stuff…”

“It's also the Wing Dings language.” Gaster explained patiently as the computer finally booted up completely. He turned and began typing. “Now do you think you could speak like this?” 

You shook your head, “Nope.”

Gaster then took the paper once more and wrote more words, all were in caps and written in another font.

“This is the Papyrus typeface.”

“It's in English though…?” You blinked, lost again. 

“There is a basic rule for typefaces.” Gaster explained, “If it can be written in English it can be spoken in English...or other matching languages for that matter.”

“So...since Wing Dings has to be wrote in funny symbols it has to be spoken differently too?” 

“Precisely.” Gaster nodded, pleased by your progress. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

“Okay.”

Gaster chuckled as you tensed, “ *GOOD MORNING YOUNG ONE.”

You flinched reflexively only to be pleasantly surprised. Instead of the harsh computer sounds from earlier mixed with rapid beeping, you only head calm beeps and low noises. 

“That sounded different than before…” You murmured. 

Gaster dipped his head in apology, “Ah, yes I was rather excited in the waiting room. Emotions can also change the tone of our font-speak depending on the tone. Extreme cases of excitement can add static or distort meant to our tones, while things like anger or hatred can lower or slow our vocal ranges.”

As Gaster continued to babble you couldn't stop the grin on your face from widening. Gaster raised a brow at this with a small chuckle. “If I may ask, why are you grinning so wide, child?”

“I just like listening to you. I learn a lot when you talk but it's not boring like at school.”

“You think I'm...interesting then?”

“Yeah! Like...super duper interesting!”

For a while Wing Ding didn't say anything, he just stared at you with his jaw slacked ever so slightly. “Uh...mister?”

Then a black tear rolled down the skeletons cheekbones. You let out a startled sound and climbed off the stool. Quickly stumbling into the doctor’s lap, you wiped the tear away with your sleeve. 

“H-hey! No crying! No sad. Hey!” You mumbled frantically as he continued his silence. 

Gaster suddenly beeped at you. It was unbelievably soft and you probably wouldn't have heard it if you were still on the stool. 

“ *YOU PRECIOUS LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL…”

“Uh...Gaster?”

“ *YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM TO HEAR THAT.”

“What are you saying?”

“ *SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UPSET WITH ME SINCE MY RETURN...BUT NOT YOU.”

You let out an annoyed huff as Gaster just kept on quietly beeping. “Gaster!” You whined. 

“ *SUCH WARMTH AND WELCOMING, FROM A CHILD NO LESS. THANK YOU FOR TALKING TO ME.”

You tensed as more tears began to cascade down Gaster’s cheeks. “M-Mister?” You quivered. 

“ *I AM SO HAPPY...SO RELIEVED…”

Gaster snapped to attention as you resorted to shaking his shoulders, even though at your strength it only managed to slightly jostle him. The doctor blinked at you curiously, “What are you doing child?”

Your head snapped up to look him, somewhat startling the already confused scientist. 

“Finally!” You ranted, “You kept talking in Wing Dings and I couldn't understand a word you were saying! I kept trying to get your attention but you wouldn't listen!”

Gaster managed to muster a sheepish look for your sake. “I am sorry child. I'm very...used to speaking that language. Sometimes, I do not realize people around me cannot understand.”

You heaved a sigh, “Fine. I forgive you.”

Wing Ding snorted at your antics and rolled his eye-lights. “Now, I do have to start working little one. If you want, I will explain what I am working on.”

You nodded, eager to know more about your new friend. For a while Gaster would pull up charts and pictures or long sheets filled with his language on the old computer screen, explaining what each thing was as simply as he could. 

While you didn't understand everything and most of the science went well over your level of comprehension, it made him happy so you didn't complain. However, both of you were abruptly startled as the door to the stairwell suddenly opened and slammed shut. 

Someone was coming downstairs.

Someone was coming into Gaster’s lab.

You were in Gaster's lab…

You weren't supposed to be in ANY lab of ANY kind.

“G-Gaster…?!”

“ *WELL...FUCK.”


	4. His Patients

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good god, this chapter went through so much editing...I have a separate document solely for revisions.  
> And yet I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it yet.   
> Oh, a big thank you to Serein for helping me with the Bold and Italics! Seriously, thank you so much!

Your eyes were wide as you looked to the tall skeleton. The scientist, while caught off guard, was quick to sweep you up and place you behind the cloak on his coat rack. The black cloak was long, only few centimeters from the floor and easily hid you. Pressing a finger to his mouth as to say ‘keep silent’ he walked over to stand by one of the tables where one of his many notebooks lie strewn about. 

“Doctor Gaster,” a voice called. 

The doctor turned to find Lillian, one of the assistants in the building. Her shoes clicked loudly against the concrete floor as she approached, holding a packet of papers. “I've got your bi-weekly schedule for the two patients you agreed to.”

“Patients?”

“Shyren and Fuku Fire, I do believe.”

Ah yes. He had agreed to oversee their checkups. Shyren was a friend of his since childhood and Fuku was Grillby’s niece. He couldn't turn away a his closest friend’s niece. 

“Oh, I had almost forgotten-.”

“Yes, something I had anticipated.” Lillian interrupted with a sharp huff, “They are your patients -part of your job- and you would do well to remember they are under your care.”

Gaster surprised himself as he managed to refrain from narrowing his sockets at the woman. “May I see my documents.” 

Lillian gave him a sharp look but handed him the papers, but she held fast as Gaster tried to take them, “To prevent further slips of the mind, I would suggest setting a reminder for yourself. Perhaps one that pages you throughout the day.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Gaster replied, his voice tight. 

Lillian let go, but sighed and softened her features. “I'm not trying to patronize you Dr. Gaster. But as head of assistance and documentation, it is crucial to have all daily tasks in mind and well planned. Allowing slips to occur hampers our success.”

Wing Dings merely cast her a look, “I understand the reasoning, believe me. I am no stranger to working under deadlines and severe time constraints.” Gaster averted his gaze, his thoughts briefly wandering to the earliest days after the banishment of monsterkind. 

“Just set out some reminders,” Lillian urged as she made her way towards the stairwell, “A little preparation goes a long way.”  
While it may have been rude, Gaster couldn’t help but roll his socket lights in annoyance. The woman was scolding him like a child for a slip of the mind. It was nothing less that irritating to be reprimanded by people who were a few centuries younger than you.

Shaking away the lingering frustrations, Gaster listened closely for the click of Lillian’s heels as she ascended the stairs, letting out a sigh he was unaware he’d been holding when she finally left. Once the door had swung shut, alerting him through the sound bang it made, Gaster turned back to the coat rack where you were hidden. 

“You may come out now, child.” Gaster called out.

You warily pulled the cloak aside, peering around as if some invisible secretary had come along, waiting for you to leave your hiding spot and snatch you away. Gaster gave a low chuckle in amusement, the suspicious look on your face was both adorable and hilarious.

“What did she want?” You asked as you padded over to stand near the skeleton.

“She’s was giving me a reminder. I had very nearly forgotten that I have to patients to treat.” Gaster sighed and took a seat in the swivel chair.

“You have patients too? I thought you just worked on the core.” You raised a brow as you padded over to stand beside him.

Gaster chuckled wistfully. If only that were true. “Unfortunately I do not have the pleasure of only having a single project to complete. Aside from the core I have numerous projects that require me to build machines or solve simple problems. But I do treat two monsters as well now.”

“But there are a lot of monsters.” you frowned, “How come you only treat two of them?”

“I am not the only monster with a doctorate, child.” the doctor paused, anticipating the tug on his lab coat a mere second before you, did indeed, tug on the white fabric.

“What was that word?”

“Doctorate. It means that you have completed enough schooling and passed to be a doctor in whatever field you studied.” He elaborated, “And the other monster, is Dr. Alphys. I have a doctorate and specialize in Quantum Physics, however Dr. Alphys’ specialty lies in the biology, the science and study of the body.”

“So since Alphys studies the body, she can help people a little better?” 

Gaster beamed once more as you pieced together your information, and correctly this time. “Very good, little one.” he praised. “However, while Alphys is the best suited for the medical aspect of science, she is still learning. There are some monsters she does not know enough about.”

“Like what?” 

Gaster hummed thoughtfully, “For example, a dear friend of mine is a monster completely made out of fire and magic. A fire elemental if you will.”

Gaster paused as you emitted a strange noise and turned to look. He was unable to hold back his laugh upon seeing the gobsmacked look you sported. You’re eyes were huge.

“That’s...that’s so awesome! He’s just made out of fire?!”

“And magic, yes.”

“Wow! But wouldn’t he burn everything? Like food or people or clothes?” Your mind was reeling much to the scientist’s further amusement, “Can he even wear clothes?!”

Gaster actually let out a loud laugh at that, gesturing for you to climb in his lap so he could work and talk. You happily climbed up, sitting on his lap as he swiveled towards the screen.

“Yes child, he can wear clothes. He learned how to control his flames a very long time ago. He had to.” Gaster hummed thoughtfully, “I grew up with him actually. He’s a few years younger than I am if I remember correctly.”

“That’s good.” You gave a satisfied nod, “That’d be so embarrassing if you accidentally lost your clothes!”

Gaster chuckled, then laughed at the thought of Grillby in such a situation. He could only imagine the shade of blue his dear friend might accomplish in such a predicament.

“Yes, he would be rather...horrified. Speaking of him however,” Gaster chuckled, beginning to notice your skill for driving the conversation off topic, “As I was saying. A fire elemental would be difficult if not impossible for Alphys to treat, she has not learned of their biology and does not have the proper tools to oversee their health.”

“So what would happen,” You asked softly, “If a fire person got hurt?”

Gaster frowned at the thought, “They would have to locate a healer, something of a rarity these days...even among monsters. Thankfully the friend I mentioned is a very cautious individual. He always has been so I’m sure he’s managed to avoid harm.”

And...Gaster may or may not have exploited the uses of the void to check up on his friend every once in awhile. Just to make sure he was okay...not that he’d admit to it anytime soon.

Gaster sighed and opened another file on the screen and analyzing the presented data, “My friend’s niece, Fuku Fire, is one of the patients and a fire elemental. She’s still a teenager, so it is critical that she has monthly -if not weekly- checkups to make sure her magic flow is not fluctuating too drastically.” 

“So since fire people are made of fire and magic...if something’s wrong with their magic it’s like something’s wrong with their whole body?”

“Sort of. Fire elementals are held together by magic. They can quite literally unravel if their magic is too low to maintain their form.”

You nodded, “That sounds painful.”

“I’ve heard it’s not a particularly pleasant experience.”

For a while, things were silent. Gaster was concentrating pretty hard on whatever was on the computer screen and interrupting him seemed rude. Instead, you opted to merely watch the doctor work. His lap was actually rather comfortable, you could almost fall asleep. 

“Are you tired little one?” Gaster asked, noticing your drooping eyelids.

“Kinda...your work looks really hard.” You noted drowsily.

“It might have been once upon a time. Not so much anymore.” Gaster trailed off as you fell back, leaning against his abdomen. “Would you would like me to find one of the cots? It would be much more comfortable.” Bones weren’t exactly soft after all.

“Nope, that’s okay.” You shrugged, “I’m fine right here.”

Gaster nodded and resumed typing, albeit slower with half his attention directed to you. Only a few minutes passed before Gaster had ceased typing altogether. Your breathing had slowed and become more even. 

You had fallen asleep, in his lap no less. Oh he wish he had a camera. He’d have to tell Grillby about you the next time he went to the bar. Grillby had always loved children, though was somewhat in the same boat as Gaster when it came to how children reacted to him. A walking man made of fire wasn’t exactly commonplace.

He was sure Grillby would adore you.

Gaster smiled at the thought of his friend. Other than Grillby, Shyren was also his friend. It was one of the reasons he had agreed to conduct her checkups outside of the fact that Shyren was still much too wary of Dr. Alphys.

Once the DT experiments had become publicly known, Shyren was hesitant to trust the doctor at all.

Gaster froze as you suddenly shifted, curling up into a little ball in his lap. He could have cried at the sight. You were unbelievably adorable. With a soft smile, the doctor raised a hand towards the coat rack and lifted his cloak from it, beckoning it to him. Ever so carefully the doctor draped the cloak across you like a blanket, smiling at his handiwork. The skills that came with raising kids didn’t just disappear overnight.

Or after spending an eternity trapped in the void, in his case.

Gaster sagged as the thoughts struck him. After he’d been shattered his boys had been alone and on their own. With all their relatives gone it was such a relief to Gaster when Grillby took them in and helped them as they grew up. Still, the ache of having to miss moments like birthdays, Papyrus’ first day of middle school, Sans’ 16th birthday, holidays, and chances to comfort his sons like a good father should…

Especially Sans…

Gaster shook his head in blatant defiance. No, he would not depress himself. The skeleton glanced down at you again and managed a small smile. Ever so gently, Wing Ding brushed the hair from your face before it could wake you and looked back up at the screen. 

“ *I’VE COMPLETED A DECENT AMOUNT OF WORK.” Gaster murmured softly, “ *I CAN AFFORD TO TAKE A BREAK AND ENTERTAIN HER ONCE SHE WAKES.”

“Oh...my.” Gaster swore his magic froze as a soft voice shattered the moment. He hadn’t heard someone come in. 

Though he worried for nothing. Before he even had the chance to turn and see who had entered, Shyren was already standing in front of him, hovering over you with awe. The musical monster looked up at Wing Dings with a ridiculously gleeful beam.

“I wish I had a camera~!” She exclaimed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Gaster relaxed astronomically, relief flooding every bone of his body. “Shyren...while I am happy to see you, truly I am, please...make some noise next time you arrive.”

Shyren merely blinked at her friend with an innocent curiosity, “What did I do?”


	5. Is The Baby Jealous?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are parts of this I like, and parts I don't. But...after the next two chapters -or so- we may move towards the "plot development" stages.   
> Maybe...still deciding.

Gaster was extremely cautious not to jostle you as he handled you with his magic. With your soul -now blue- and under his control, he lifted you from his lap and stood from the swivel chair. 

Shyren quietly giggled, scampering off to take a seat on one of the examination tables. Gaster gently situated you on the cushions of the chair and adjusted his cloak once more. 

Releasing his hold on your soul, he gave you one last look of appraisal before deciding he was satisfied. Gaster turned to Shyren, who was sitting on the nearest exam table cheerfully watching the exchange. 

“You are so cute.” Shyren whispered, “Especially with kids.”

“Er...Thank you.”

“Oh, come now.” Shyren playfully scolded her skeleton friend, “Don't be that way. It's been ages since you've acted so fatherly towards anyone.”

“I didn't quite have a choice, Shyren.” Gaster replied, his spine tense. 

Shyren’s fins drooped as the doctor knelt down to collect his tools from the cabinet under the table. “That's not what I meant, friend. Even before then, you were growing more and more distant from your children.” Shyren commented softly. 

“I would like to change the subject, if you don't mind.” Gaster said a bit harsher than he meant to. 

Shyren’s fins pressed flat against her face, “Alright, I apologize.”

Gaster shook his head, “It's fine. Let's move on.” The doctor stood and cleared his throat, “May we start?”

Shyren nodded slowly as Wing Dings gently maneuvered her onto her side to check her scaly underbelly. He hummed lowly, “The bruising is definitely getting worse.” He murmured.

Shyren sighed, “Yes, ever since my body agent had to be left in the underground it’s been difficult to move about.”

“I can’t imagine having to bounce on your underbelly is very comfortable...or an efficient means of travel.” Dr. Gaster agreed, and picked up one on the devices on the table.

Flicking it on, the display crackled to life. The doctor hovered it over his friend and let out an unhappy murmur. “Your soul has been-.”

Shyren let out a harsh cough and turned away, “Don’t...don’t say it out loud…” Shyren softly begged.

Gaster stiffened, horrified at the sight of her soul. It had a very small crack down the center. Sure, it wasn’t incredibly life threatening and was comparable to the clenching of a human heart when under extreme emotional distress, but it indicated that Shyren had to have suffered emotionally...and recently.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Gaster offered softly.

Shyren turned away, “I...um…” She ducked her face behind her hair.

Gaster laid a bony hand on his friend’s head, calmly petting her fins in as comforting a manner as he could manage. “If it’s any consolation, your new agent should be done within the week. The mobility testing will be completed by the end of today.” He paused uncertainly, “I will need to install the device that will allow the agent to synch to your soul before you give it any test runs though.”

Shyren didn’t respond, not verbally anyway, but instead gave the doctor a grateful look. 

“Whoa! So pretty!” 

Both the doctor and Shyren jumped, almost having forgotten you were there. By the time they had both looked in your direction, you were already out of the swivel chair and running over to the exam berth. You stood on your tiptoes as you attempted to get a closer look at the stranger. Gaster chuckled and stooped down to pick you up, setting you a bit apart from the shy fish monster on the berth.

You smiled brightly at Shyren, “You’re really pretty!”

Gaster chuckled softly as Shyren blushed almost immediately. Shyren only managed a garbled whisper of thanks, one you had just barely heard. You shrugged and swung your legs, curiously looking about the room. It was the first time you had really looked at the laboratory. It was huge, much bigger than it was at first glance.

But, as time went on you found a familiar feeling worming its way into your chest. Boredom. You looked about in disinterest as Shyren and Gaster continued to talk in hushed tones, leaving you with a tight feeling of exclusion. 

Fantastic.

You carefully inched yourself off the berth and lowered yourself to the floor, only eliciting a brief glance from the doctor. You pouted, turning and walking towards the stool where you had left your backpack. Grabbing the zipper, you pulled it back and dug amongst the contents. You hummed when you found what you were looking for, pleased when you also found it’s partner. 

Despite the fact that the paper was crumpled and your pencil was dull, you spread out on the floor and began to doodle all over the front of the page, waiting for your playmate to be done with his patient. About five minutes or so had passed when you looked up again. Gaster was still talking to the fish-monster.

You dropped your head against the concrete in irritation, grunting and popping right back up when the impact sent an angry rush of pain through your forehead. You frowned, grumpy now that your forehead was probably red now since it would occasionally throb. You weren’t the biggest fan of the concept of sharing, playmates included. And pretty or otherwise, you certainly did not like it when other people took your friends away.

You opted to pull out a book from your bag. You had finished it at school, so it wasn't particularly entertaining. You didn't know how much time you'd spent staring at the page when-.

“What are you drawing, little one?” 

You yelped -startled by the sudden voice- and scrambled back. But it was only Gaster, who peered down at you with a mix of curiosity and concern. 

“I’m sorry, child. I didn’t mean to startle you.” Gaster apologized and knelt down. He pointed to your picture, “May I look?”

You nodded, still a bit mad at the skeleton for taking so long.

Gaster smiled as he looked over the drawing, “These are very good.” He praised, inwardly gushing over the messy doodles of him, Shyren, and parts of the lab. 

“Where’d Shyren go?” You asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, but the careful stare you were boring into the scientist easily exposing the more annoyed undertones in your question.

Gaster raised a brow, “We concluded her check-up and she left.” Gaster paused, “Why are you upset with me?”

You flushed red with humiliation. You were caught, not that’d you admit it. “I’m not mad.” you huffed.

“Oh, but I think you are.” Gaster chuckled, a mischievous glint in his sockets.

“I’m NOT!”

“Are you sure?”

“YES!” You scowled and crossed your arms, refusing to look at him as you crossed your arms and pouted.

The scientist held in his amusement. After raising two young boys, he knew the signs of an upset child. You were mad at him, that much was clear. Looking back down at the drawing, Gaster noticed the figure of him -while still messy- was much neater than the scribbles meant to represent Shyren. 

A simple glance at the clock solved his mystery.

Shyren’s checkup had taken roughly twenty minutes. If he had to make an educated guess, you had about as much patience as his youngest son; especially when it came to entertaining yourself. Gaster gave you a gentle smile, not that you were looking. You had gotten bored, and apparently blamed Shyren for it as Gaster had to give her a checkup.

The simple fact that you were jealous at Shyren -of all people- was enough to send a rumble of amusement through Gaster’s chest. The poor singer had no intention of upsetting the child. And yet here you were, pouting.

With practiced ease the doctor lifted you from the floor and into his lap. You scowled and squirmed half-heartedly, but the doctor only smiled. “My sincerest apologies for leaving you unattended for so long.” Gaster placed a hand on his chest for sincerity’s sake. “Though please understand, my friend is a very shy person.”

You peeked up at him, attempting to be covert but failed miserably. Gaster quickly rolled with this development, “Shyren is a type of siren; and sirens can sing in a way that can hypnotize other people. However, due to...incidents that happened a long time ago, Shyren is tone deaf. People would tease her and generally be very mean. She is afraid to talk to people, and she may have been uncomfortable.”

“Was that why you guys were talking so quiet?” You asked after a moment, “Because she didn’t want me to hear her?”

Gaster winced as he mulled over the thought. From the outside looking in, one could very easily assume that he and Shyren were merely excluding them from the conversation.

Nonetheless, the doctor nodded. “Yes. That is correct.”

You ducked your head, shame balling up in your chest for being angry with your new friend. “Sorry…”

 

“Whatever for?” Gaster raised a brow. You hadn’t done anything wrong per say, and given your age he expected the spur of the moment jealousy.  
Besides, you weren’t anywhere near as bad as Papyrus was. 

Papyrus was VERY aware of the various ways to get attention if he desired it. Those various ways often contained beakers, cylinders, and various other lab equipment being haphazardly waved about in his hands as he raced about the room.

No, in comparison to Papyrus you were very much a breeze to handle. 

“Mom says I can be a brat sometimes,” Gaster snapped back to attention as you spoke up, “She told me I’m not going to have any friends if I get mad every time one of my friends talks to someone else.”

Gaster felt his soul clench a bit. That was a bit much to tell a child. Gaster found himself at a bit off a loss. What was he supposed to say to that. 

“You still want to be my friend, right mister?” you asked softly.

Gaster gawked, mouth slightly agape. You had already considered him a friend? Right? technically you could not stop being someone’s friend if you weren’t already at friend status right?! You considered him a friend!

You gave your skeleton friend a quizzical look. His eyes were different. Instead of a little light dot for pupils, his eyes quite literally had stars in them. “Uh, mister…? Are you okay?” You waved a hand in front of his face.

For a moment, Gaster did not possess the ability to feel shame as he emitted a happy squealing sound, his bones rattling joyfully as he swept you up into a hug. 

“ *PRECIOUS CINNAMON ROLL!” He loudly declared.

You laughed, squealing with glee as your friend squished his cheek to yours, happy stars somehow materializing around his head. You quickly dismissed them as a skeleton-thing and threw your arms around Gaster’s neck.

“So you’ll still be my friend?!”

“ *OF COURSE!”

“You sound like a spaceship.”

Gaster cleared his ‘throat’, his cheeks slightly purple. “Yes little one, I will gladly continue to be your friend.”

“Good,” You snuggled into the thick turtleneck he wore, “I was worried.”

Gaster chuckled as he could feel his soul pulsing happily, something that had become an uncommon occurrence as of late. However, you stiffened in his arms, compelling the skeleton to immediately loosen his grip for fear of having harmed you.

Harming a child by hugging them too hard. Such was a concept that he had never encountered before. He could have laughed if not for the look of curious concern marring your features.

“Little one, is something wrong?”

“It’s gone now,” You said slowly, “But, there was a sound coming from your chest...like a heartbeat but not...um.”

Gaster could not stop the grin from spreading on his face. As giddy as he was, especially with the broach of the topics of souls, he calmed himself. “We’ll...discuss that later, hm?” Gaster suggested with a gentle pang of reluctance, “Now, I believe I have to make up for earlier.”

Your eyes brightened, “We’re going to do something fun?”

“If you wish.”

“FINALLY!”

Gaster let out a solid laugh. Yes, you certainly held a kind of familiarity akin to that of his youngest son. While he may not have fully realized it, the reminder of his son didn't send as strong of a pulse of sadness ripping through him as it had previously. 

“Come along, little one. I want to introduce you to a few...friends of mine.”

“Who?” You prodded eagerly, the cryptic response only furthering your eagerness. 

“You’ll see soon enough.” Gaster smiled in a mischievous way, unable to hide his smirk as you whined about his secrecy. 

Over the many years of his life, Gaster had become very skilled at keeping secrets...especially when faced with one of the most powerful weapons a child could inflict on an adult, especially parents. 

Gaster sighed as he stole another peek at your face, letting out a small groan at his mistake. 

“Child, please stop looking at me like that.” He muttered as you enacted a well-perfected ‘kicked puppy’ stare. “We will see them within minutes, I will not tell you before.”

“But.”

“No, little one.”

You pouted as Gaster's resolve held firm. After all, it may have taken a few years, but if he could teach himself to tell _Papyrus_ no, he could tell anyone ‘no’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, wonder who these friends could be...? ;)


	6. Cascade Meltdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I got a little stuck on the ending for this chapter...whoops.  
> ^_^"

You had suspected that Gaster was exaggerating when he said that it would only take a minute or two to reach his mystery friends. Much to your pleasant surprise, he hadn’t been. The skeletal genius led you down a short hallway that was connected to his lab and to a set of doors. You hadn’t noticed the soft features of amusement gracing his cracked features whenever you pace sped up. 

Gaster stopped you before you could touch the handle. 

“Little one, I should warn you,” He said seriously and knelt down for emphasis, “My friends can be a tad skittish around new people, especially around humans.” 

You scrunched your brows together, “What does skittish mean?”

“It means they can be very nervous and even too shy to be close to people. My friends are very nervous around humans.” Gaster explained. 

“Why don’t they like humans?”

“It’s not that they do not like humans, per say,” He murmured as the thought of bright blue flashes and bloodshed graced his mind, “They merely have had...issues with humans before. So many -in fact- that they have seen more bad out of humans than good.”

Thinking back, the last time his Blasters had seen a human had been during the war. And Sans’ Blasters...well, genocide is rather serious isn't it?

You shifted nervously, “What if they don’t like me? Will they hurt me?”

Gaster gave you a soft smile, “They will like you, and they won’t hurt you.”

“But-.”

“Trust me, child. I have known them for countless years.” Gaster rose to his full height once more, allowing your skittish self so take partial refuge behind his lab coat as he opened the door. 

Wing Ding was slow to enter for your sake, but smiled at the sight of his two floating friends...and their additions.

“Little one, I’d like you to meet the Blasters.” Gaster announced proudly as you peeked out from behind him, “And the Bone Puppies.”

You gawked, unable to efficiently form words as you were faced with a pair of floating, glowy-eyed, skull demons...and their adorable puppies that looked like skeletal dragon babies. Sensing your inner hesitation, Gaster motioned for the Blasters to come near. The two knew to be gradual with their approach if their master’s body language was anything to go by.

You trembled a bit as one of the skull demons came closer, gently bobbing up and down before you. The Blaster circled around you curiously, its partner floated a ways behind with the Bone Pups. Gaster could sense the Blaster’s hesitation. It was expected really, years of war and general battle did not disappear in moments. 

You swallowed nervously, nearly yelping when Gaster knelt down beside you. 

“ *THIS IS MY FRIEND,” Gaster told the larger being, “ *THEY HAVE BEEN KEEPING ME COMPANY TODAY.”

The Blaster let out a warbled hum in response. Given the proximity, it could sense its master’s soul and ergo his happiness towards you. You did let out a small squeak as the Blaster bobbed within arm’s reach, waiting patiently for something it seemed. 

Gaster nudged you encouragingly, “Go ahead. It wouldn't be this close if it wasn't giving you permission.”

You took a deep breath, feeling less than brave. 

You slowly reached out, trembling as your palm went flat against the cool skull of the floating demon head. Your knees might have gave out right then and there.

The skull demon purred contently and you smiled as it nudged closer. As if sensing their guardian’s contentment and acceptance, the Bone Pups barreled out from under their caretaker’s protective shadow. 

You let out a pleasantly surprised squeal as the bone puppies practically bowled you to the floor. You giggled uncontrollably as the pups climbed all over you, sniffing wildly. Gaster gave a loud and unabashed guffaw at the spectacle; you were just too cute. Gaster could not keep the wide grin from spreading across his face as the puppies ran about you in excitement. 

He could feel the warm pulses of love and amusement from the older Blasters. Happiness would bloom in them whenever you petted the puppies and gave them affection, and in turn he would feel that joy in bits and pieces. For the first time in a while, everything bad felt far away. Distant. Unimportant. 

You were only vaguely aware of Gaster’s gaze on you as you played and rolled about with the pups. When you ran about the room they would chase after you, or you would chase after them. Occasionally the bigger Blasters would lend a hand in you games. If the pups got too far ahead they would let you hang onto their jaws and hitch a quick ride. 

One of the big Blasters, the one that had decided you were safe, suddenly bobbed down as close to the floor as it could and tilted forward a bit. You looked at it, curious and confused. It wanted something, though you weren’t sure what. Thankfully this one was patient with you, and hovered close enough to give your torso an upwards nudge. It took you a moment, but when the revelation hit you your eyes widened brightly.

“You’ll let me fly around with you?” You asked, voice soft with awe.

The Blaster replied with a soft chirr of pleased affirmation. You were trembling with excitement as you awkwardly tried to climb atop the demon. However, Gaster wasn’t having it. Looking up from the Bone Puppies, who had fallen asleep in a pile, he gave a harsh sound of alarm as he found you trying to climb onto one of the Blasters. While he was all for a friendship between you and his long-time allies, this was a little too dangerous for the first day. 

While the Blaster would be somewhat careful, it did not yet have a strong enough tie to you that it would take your limits and safety into consideration at all times.

Gaster dashed across the room and shouted. “Little one, no! That is not-!”

The sound of jaws cracking open.  
Plasma charging.  
Becoming a mere shadow in the blinding blue and white light.  
The pause of fear.  
The fact he was _so close_ to the charge he could feel the heated, pungent mix of plasma and magic.

Gaster couldn’t breathe. He was shaking. He was falling. The skeleton could barely register the panicked cries and high pitched wails as his body seemed to lose its shape. He knew he couldn’t stop it. The stages of this particular cascade error were progressing much too rapidly for his magic to repair. His legs lost shape and fused together, shaving a head or two from his height. But it was all nothing to the man. His mind was elsewhere.

Experiments.  
Lights.  
Errors.  
Fatal mistakes.

There were screams, but they were reduced to distant distorted echoes of a high wail. He was vaguely aware that his name was being called or that small hands were trying to grip his form, only to sink into the mass that he had became. His solidity was fading in the physical sense. But Gaster was not concerned. 

Everything was distant. Dark...or darker yet. 

 

You were screaming as your skeleton friend began to melt before your eyes. The Blasters were racing about the room in fit of agitated worry. Tears dribbled down your cheeks as you watched Gaster’s body slowly fall away in chunks that piled in heaps on the floor. His eye sockets were abnormally wide and the lights in each one were blazing rapidly.

“Gaster!” You screeched, “No! Stop! Stop it!” You wailed.

You flopped towards him as a surge of panic slammed your body. You somehow managed to awkwardly scramble to his side and grabbed him in a panic. Or at least you tried to. The fist fulls of what was once his lab coat merely came away in your hands and slipped through your fingers.

You were nothing short of traumatized. 

You repeated his name like a mantra, sobbing uncontrollably as he left your wails unanswered. You didn’t know how long you had spent curled up bawling on the floor beside your melted friend, but you refused to look up at him. You couldn’t handle it. 

**_SCHLOP_ **

You screamed as something cold and slimy suddenly latched onto your wrist. You violently jerked away, but didn’t manage to dislodge it. You screamed again as you caught sight of what had grabbed you. It was a lumpy mass of white goo. It connected to a long thick cable of black glop that had emerged from the towering black mass beside you. 

A horribly melted face, white and mask like, gazed at you with hollow eyes. You shrieked as tears pricked your vision and the...thing, screeched back at you. You wrenched your arm away and dashed as fast as your little legs could carry you. Your heart pounded as you could hear it’s body pulling itself along the ground in an effort to keep up. You reached the door of the Blaster Room and gripped the handle. 

But it wouldn’t budge. 

Your eyes widened in alarm as you futilely tried again and again to budge the handle. By the time you had turned back towards the gooey monster it was too late. It seemed to have spread itself out in an attempt to keep you trapped by the door. You were wailing, incoherently begging for your mother, father, or Gaster to come and help you. Your body trembled, your eyes and head hurt so bad…

Then something brushed your cheek.

You hiccuped as the sobs tore at your throat. Waiting for the monster to eat you, or hurt you, or...or…

...pull…

...pull away…?

The shadow of the towering monster retreated and no longer surrounded your smaller frame. After a moment or so you dared to take a peek. Then you heard it. Faint gasping wheezes. Blubbering coughs and pitiful little whimpers. The sounds made your chest ache in a weird way. The way it did when mom was so mad she refused to even look at you.

Hesitantly, you took a step forward...then another and yet another. 

Before long you found yourself standing in front of the monster, watching as glowy lavender crocodile tears poured from its eye sockets. It was making weird sounds...broken and warbled sounds that were strikingly familiar. 

Then it hit you…

“G-Gaster?”

 

You had been screaming. _Screaming_ ! Once he had managed to pull himself from his panic induced fluctuation, Gaster sourly discovered he was not going to be able to reform his natural skeleton state for quite a while. He was going to be gelatinous until he could reign in his magic, smooth it, and go about meticulously realigning it. 

But the screams. 

When Gaster had been completely brought back to the forefront of his consciousness, he had found you bawling with fear and sadness. You had curled yourself up on the floor beside him, beside yourself and screeching his name at the top of your healthy young lungs.

Initially he had thought you’d been injured. It wasn’t uncommon for a wayward blast of magic to manifest when this event -unfortunately- occurred. Then he touched your arm, hoping to get your attention and tend to your wounds. 

But you had reacted almost violently afraid and had screamed. 

Gaster was rightly startled. Scenarios began trampling his mind. Had he hurt you more. Were you okay? Of course not. Stupid question. What was wrong. Was it your wrist, arm, head, leg…?! Was it your soul?!

But then you had run away from him. Bawling and stumbling you had run...towards the door. The realization couldn’t have hit the poor skeleton harder if it tried. You were _afraid_. You were afraid of _him_.

Gaster followed you towards the door. He had, of course, locked it. The handle was fairly easy for the Bone Pups to figure out. If he didn’t lock the door they could very easily escape. He didn’t mean to tower over you, though he couldn’t quite control it at the given time. But the look on your face just shattered him. 

When he brushed your cheek your breathing worsened and you sobbed even harder than before. 

Letting out a sad whine, his very soul shaking with emotional agony, he pulled away from you. What had he done? He would never get another chance! Just like his sons, you-.

“G-Gaster?” The call was small and worried. 

Taking mind to be slow, Gaster turned to you and solemnly nodded his head. To his shock, you burst into tears and lunged for him, sobs choking your words.

“I'm sorry! I-I didn't know it was you! I thought you died!” You wailed as you tried to latch onto him. “Y-You melted! You're melted! What happened?!” 

Gaster managed to fight down the swirl of joy that clenched his soul, letting it quietly heal with your words. Instead he focused and calmed himself just enough to solidify his hands, send a message to the Blasters to calm them, and find his voice. 

“Little one, I...I think it's time I told you a story about a very sad place I've come to call, the void.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone was confused and I don't get it cleared in the next chapter...  
> Gaster suffered a panic attack about falling into the void that was triggered by the similar smell of plasma emitted by his Blasters when they open their mouths.


End file.
